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John Appleton
John Appleton (February 11, 1815 – August 22, 1864) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat who served as the United States' first chargé d'affaires to Bolivia, and later as special envoy to Great Britain and Russia. Born in Beverly, Massachusetts, Appleton graduated from Bowdoin College in 1834 and attended Harvard Law School from 1835 to 1836. On leaving Harvard, he became a barrister and newspaper editor while maintaining a vigorous involvement in Democratic politics. In 1840 he was appointed as registrar of probates for Cumberland County, Maine, and in 1845 became Chief Clerk for the United States Department of the Navy.
In January 1848 Appleton was promoted to Chief Clerk of the State Department, but resigned in March when he was named as the United States' first chargé d'affaires to Bolivia. The posting was unsuccessful, and Appleton resigned after six months service and returned to the United States to pursue his personal political interests. In 1851 he was narrowly elected to Congress, representing Maine's 2nd congressional district. As a Congressman he became noted for his oratorical skills, and was selected to give the obituary address for former Senator and Secretary of State Daniel Webster in 1852.
In 1855 Appleton was sent as diplomatic envoy to London, England to promote United States interests in negotiations to end the Crimean War. He returned to the United States in 1857 and was appointed as the fourth Assistant Secretary of State, a post he held for the following three years. As Assistant Secretary he opened discussions with Russia regarding a prospective Alaska Purchase, leading to the United States acquiring that territory in 1867. Concurrently, he was editor of a pro-Democratic newspaper The Washington Union, but his career was marred by allegations that he misused this position for personal gain. He was the United States' envoy to Russia from 1860 until his retirement in 1861. Appleton died on August 22, 1864, and is buried in Portland's Evergreen Cemetery.
John Appleton was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on February 11, 1815. His father, John White Appleton (1780–1862), was a resident of Portland, Maine; his mother, Sophia Appleton (nee Williams) (1786–1860) was from Connecticut. Appleton was the third child of nine of his parents and spent most of his childhood in Portland.
Appleton studied law at Bowdoin College in the 1830s, graduating as a Legum Doctor in 1834 and pursuing further studies at Harvard Law School in the summers of 1835 and 1836. Throughout the 1830s he worked in New England legal firms. On 20 June 1837 he passed his bar examination in Cumberland County, Maine and subsequently opened his own legal practice in Portland. In 1838 Appleton was appointed as lead editor of the Eastern Argus, a now-defunct newspaper serving the Portland area, and in 1840 and from 1842 to 1844 he served as registrar of probates for Cumberland County. He married Susan Lovering Dodge in 1840, and their only child, Eben Dodge Appleton, was born in Portland in 1843.
In addition to his legal practice, Appleton's abiding interest was in Democratic Party politics. In the 1840s he became associated with Tennessee Governor James K. Polk, who would be elected President in a close-fought race in 1844. Following Polk's inauguration, Appleton accepted an offer from United States Navy Secretary George Bancroft to join the administration as the Navy's Chief Clerk. His closeness to Polk continued while in this role, culminating in an invitation to act as the President's personal diarist for a goodwill tour of the northeastern states. Appleton's record of this visit was later published as a 135-page volume entitled North for Union. The book includes Appleton's endorsement of northeastern arts and industry, alongside a studied disapproval of its urban culture. Boston is described as having a "greatness" bestowed by its role in the American Revolutionary War, which permitted Appleton to "almost forget its meanness" today. Industrialized Lowell is criticized for commercialism, as "not in such places are republican spirits and Spartan hearts best educated." Describing the region's largest city, Appleton wrote:
New York ... has the social faults which belong to an eminently business place, and to a shifting, moneymaking people. Everything there is confused, and every man there is busily pursuing some selfish aim. One who walks slowly in the streets is in danger of being run over, and everybody is so much in a hurry there that, in such a case, no resident would probably stop to pick him up.
On January 26, 1848, Appleton was promoted to the role of Chief Clerk for the Department of State. In this position, Appleton was the second-ranking officer of the department.
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John Appleton
John Appleton (February 11, 1815 – August 22, 1864) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat who served as the United States' first chargé d'affaires to Bolivia, and later as special envoy to Great Britain and Russia. Born in Beverly, Massachusetts, Appleton graduated from Bowdoin College in 1834 and attended Harvard Law School from 1835 to 1836. On leaving Harvard, he became a barrister and newspaper editor while maintaining a vigorous involvement in Democratic politics. In 1840 he was appointed as registrar of probates for Cumberland County, Maine, and in 1845 became Chief Clerk for the United States Department of the Navy.
In January 1848 Appleton was promoted to Chief Clerk of the State Department, but resigned in March when he was named as the United States' first chargé d'affaires to Bolivia. The posting was unsuccessful, and Appleton resigned after six months service and returned to the United States to pursue his personal political interests. In 1851 he was narrowly elected to Congress, representing Maine's 2nd congressional district. As a Congressman he became noted for his oratorical skills, and was selected to give the obituary address for former Senator and Secretary of State Daniel Webster in 1852.
In 1855 Appleton was sent as diplomatic envoy to London, England to promote United States interests in negotiations to end the Crimean War. He returned to the United States in 1857 and was appointed as the fourth Assistant Secretary of State, a post he held for the following three years. As Assistant Secretary he opened discussions with Russia regarding a prospective Alaska Purchase, leading to the United States acquiring that territory in 1867. Concurrently, he was editor of a pro-Democratic newspaper The Washington Union, but his career was marred by allegations that he misused this position for personal gain. He was the United States' envoy to Russia from 1860 until his retirement in 1861. Appleton died on August 22, 1864, and is buried in Portland's Evergreen Cemetery.
John Appleton was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on February 11, 1815. His father, John White Appleton (1780–1862), was a resident of Portland, Maine; his mother, Sophia Appleton (nee Williams) (1786–1860) was from Connecticut. Appleton was the third child of nine of his parents and spent most of his childhood in Portland.
Appleton studied law at Bowdoin College in the 1830s, graduating as a Legum Doctor in 1834 and pursuing further studies at Harvard Law School in the summers of 1835 and 1836. Throughout the 1830s he worked in New England legal firms. On 20 June 1837 he passed his bar examination in Cumberland County, Maine and subsequently opened his own legal practice in Portland. In 1838 Appleton was appointed as lead editor of the Eastern Argus, a now-defunct newspaper serving the Portland area, and in 1840 and from 1842 to 1844 he served as registrar of probates for Cumberland County. He married Susan Lovering Dodge in 1840, and their only child, Eben Dodge Appleton, was born in Portland in 1843.
In addition to his legal practice, Appleton's abiding interest was in Democratic Party politics. In the 1840s he became associated with Tennessee Governor James K. Polk, who would be elected President in a close-fought race in 1844. Following Polk's inauguration, Appleton accepted an offer from United States Navy Secretary George Bancroft to join the administration as the Navy's Chief Clerk. His closeness to Polk continued while in this role, culminating in an invitation to act as the President's personal diarist for a goodwill tour of the northeastern states. Appleton's record of this visit was later published as a 135-page volume entitled North for Union. The book includes Appleton's endorsement of northeastern arts and industry, alongside a studied disapproval of its urban culture. Boston is described as having a "greatness" bestowed by its role in the American Revolutionary War, which permitted Appleton to "almost forget its meanness" today. Industrialized Lowell is criticized for commercialism, as "not in such places are republican spirits and Spartan hearts best educated." Describing the region's largest city, Appleton wrote:
New York ... has the social faults which belong to an eminently business place, and to a shifting, moneymaking people. Everything there is confused, and every man there is busily pursuing some selfish aim. One who walks slowly in the streets is in danger of being run over, and everybody is so much in a hurry there that, in such a case, no resident would probably stop to pick him up.
On January 26, 1848, Appleton was promoted to the role of Chief Clerk for the Department of State. In this position, Appleton was the second-ranking officer of the department.